Three goals in a ten-minute second-half spell helped Broadbridge Heath return to winning ways in the Premier Division with a 4-2 victory at Newhaven.

Despite a dominant start it was the home team who took the lead with their first foray into the Heath half on seven minutes. Ross Swaine was harshly judged to have fouled a Newhaven player just yards into the Heath half and the resulting free-kick was tapped in by an unmarked David Altendorff.

Rob Godfrey blasted a right-foot shot from 25 yards that crashed against the Newhaven crossbar. Soon after Dan Attwater delivered a 40-yard pass over the Newhaven defence for Jake Holmes and he finished past the onrushing Jake Buss.

With the gusting winds with them in the second half, Newhaven’s Scott Taylor was unlucky with a left-foot shot that went just wide.

Tiago Andrade slipped a pass inside to Holmes who turned and hit a left-foot shot which was handled on its way to goal by a defender and Holmes coolly converted the resulting penalty.

Minutes later, two became three when Jamal Sultan burst through the Newhaven defence and was tripped in the box for what appeared to be a clear-cut penalty.

The Newhaven bench were not so convinced and their protests led to a long delay with a player on the bench being shown a red card and the Newhaven coach sent to the stand, before Holmes converted for his second hat-trick of the season.

In the 75th minute, a Piers McDermott free-kick from the left was met by the head of Stuart Chester at the far post. The hosts did pull a goal back in the third minute of added time when Ryan Walton headed in.

Heath boss Steve Painter said: “It’s never easy coming down to Newhaven who are always a well organised side and hard to beat.

“I had to change the entire back four with Joe Holvey, Marlon Maxwell, Andy Howard and Jamie Robinson all missing, but those who came in did a brilliant job.”

He also had special praise for man of the match Dan Attwater saying, “Dan has been brilliant for us, he came in to help us through our injury crisis and today he was superb”.